While trying to install WWW::Mechanize 1.08 today some of its tests failed: 
Failed Test          Stat Wstat Total Fail  Failed  List of Failed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
+---------
t/live/follow.t         2   512    11    2  18.18%  6-7
t/live/follow_link.t  255 65280     7    6  85.71%  5-7
t/live/get.t           13  3328    26   13  50.00%  7 9 11 13 15-17 19
+-22 24-25

[download]
Looking at t/live/follow.t shows that it wants to follow a link using

text_regex => qr/Business.Solutions/i

but currently there is no such link on Google.
At least when *I* try to access Google using the same link as in the code (http://www.google.com/intl/en/) with a browser I don't see such a link.

I have not checked the rest of the errors but I guess they are also due to changes in web sites.

This brings me to a question, or two:

Should any of the module installation processes access web sites or anything else outside the machine ?
If yes, is that OK to do that without asking the user first ?
Should it be
  1. a public site such as Google that can change and cause the tests fail but makes it clear the author has no intention to get some information or
  2. should it be a private site of the author that can have a a few pages which are not going to change or
  3. some more static public site such as www.cpan.org ?

In reply to Accessing the net during module installation by szabgab

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